Why Writing is Worth It

Most people love the idea of writing… being intellectual and producing well thought-out, fluent artwork on a screen or piece of paper is an enticing thought.

Most people love this idea much more than actually writing. I’m one of them. Despite that intimidating blank page, starting to write is worth it. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Life is cumulative. Experiences build on each other. Our character, how we handle adversity, thoughts on situations... These can be more clearly recognized, processed, and understood if written in some form or fashion.

2. Unity of Mind —> Productivity. Im the worst at being distracted. Think about your last 5 minutes. If you’re on your computer, how many new tabs have you opened and closed, how many times have you checked Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or texts. And if you’re like me, these numbers exponentially rise when you have to get something done. Writing makes you (hopefully) clear some distractions and focus on what is going onto the paper. It leads to clearer thoughts and more productivity.

3. Promotes trains of thought. We live in a 140 character or less world of brevity, where text messages dominate conversations and our twitter feed injects information. I think this can influence our attention spans, conversations, and relationships negatively if we're not careful.

4. Write for You. Your writing doesn’t have to be for others to read. Some of the best, most profitable writing will be read by your eyes only… on your computer, Moleskine, or whatever you choose. What you’re going through, processing, and experiencing in life. Tell a story. Vent. If nothing else, it will clear your head and maybe provide some comic relief in the future.

5. Remember Experiences. Sure, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Words have the ability to say so much more than a picture… the details, the situation, your feelings.

As Derek Jeter said upon his retirement..

"Especially now, in this day and age, everyone captures everything on their phones, a picture, but you don't really experience, because you're so caught up in capturing. I experienced a lot of things, I don't ever wish I could go back and capture them on film, but I wish I'd written them down. There's minor details you forget." -- Derek Jeter

So get out that pencil and paper before you miss the moment.

Let me know what writing does for you!